Siphon-skimmer.



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(Application filed May 1B, 1901.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES ATTORNEY TN: norms rzrcns co.. vHoToMrNc.. wAsummou. D. c.4

Nrrn fhraras ATENT FFICE.

CHARLES A. MEAD, OF NEVARK, NE\V JERSEY.

slPHoN-SKIMMER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,103, dated November5, 1901.

Application tiled May 18, 1901. Serial No. 60,841. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. MEAD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Siphon-Skimmers, of which the following is a clear,full, and exact description.

My invention relates to a device for separating milk from cream; and myobject is to produce a device by which milk can be siphoned off from areceptacle containing milk and cream and which will automatically cutoff the flow and leave the cream or a portion thereof in saidreceptacle.' l

Other advantages of my invention will be apparent from the followingdescription, and my invention will be defined in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l shows a central vertical section of thepreferred embodiment of my invention, and Eig. 2 adetail-ot a.nodiication. p

In the drawings, l is a milk-recept cle. I prefer to use the well-knownquart milk-bottle of the present standard size. This quart-bottle issubstantially of the shape shown and is substantially three andseven-eighths (3%) inches in diameter at the point x x. The height isabout eight and seven-eighths (8%) inches. 1 Y

It is often desirable to draw off the milk after the cream has formedwithout pouring,r oif the cream, because if the cream is poured off fromthe top of the milk it will not all escape Without some of the milk.Furthermore, if the milk is drawn off by means of a siphon which doesnot reach the bottom of the bottle a certain portion of milk andsediment will remain in the bottle which will make the cream impure, andif a Siphon is used in which the lower end of the leg outside the bottleis lower than 'the end of the leg inside the bottle the cream will bedrawn oif also, or it must be watched and the siphon removed at theproper time, and if the lower end of the outside leg is higher than thelevel of the layer of cream which remains after the milk has been drawnoff, even if the longleg reaches the bottom of the receptacle, an amountof milk will also be left which will dilute the cream. These quartmilk-bottles are of a Well-known standard size and shape, and my deviceprovides a siphon which can be started by any one and. (as it is of alength suflicient to reach the bottom of the bottle) which will draw omilk and sediment and will automatically cut off the iiow at vthe propertime, so as to leave the desired quantity of cream in the bottle. Thusthc mistakes and guesswork of careless nurses will be avoided and theproper quantityof cream free from sediment will be obtained.

The standardquart milk-bottle is shown substantially three-quarters sizein the drawings.

2 is the milk, and 3 the layer of cream which has risen from the milk.The siphon has a leg 4, which is of asuffcient length to reach thebottom of the bottle and may be provided with a daring mouth 5 to morereadily take up the sediment at the bottom. The other leg 6 of thesiphon is shorter than the leg 4, and the difference in level of thelower end of the two legs is preferably substantially the same as thethickness of the layer of cream left at the bottom of the bottle whenthe milk has been drawn 0E. In quart-bottles of the standard size thiswill usually be substantially equal to the height of a six-ounce columnof liquid at the bottom of said bottle; but I do not limit myself tothis difference.

In some cases it may be desired to leave only the lightest and thickestportion of the cream in the bottle or a mixture of cream and milk, and Ihave therefore provided means whereby the level of the lower end of theshorter lena above the level of the mouth of the longer leg may-bevaried as desired, so as t0 automatically cut olf the flow when thefluid in the bottle has been drawn od to the desired quantity. Toaccomplish this result,

,I may form one of the legs, preferably the shorter one, of a pluralityof telescoping sections, as shown, which are slidable on each other, soas to vary the difference in the level p between the two ends of theSiphon. I prefer that this difference in level between the two ends ofthe siphon shall not be more than three and one-half (Se) inches, and itis preferably less. A substantially air-tight connection, such as anelastic rubber coupling 7, carried on one section and engaging theother, may be provided to make a tight joint and hold the lower sectionin its adjusted position; but this connection may not be neces- IOO saryin all cases, as the sections may tit snugly ltogether, as shown.

In order to accurately adjust the height of the lower end of the shorterleg so that any desired quantity of fluid will remain in the bottle, Imay provide a scale, graduated to indicate the quantity of fluid whichwill remain in the standard quart-bottle at different levels. I preferto mark this scale on one of the tubes, and I have shown two examples ofsuch marking, the scale in each case reading away (that is, up or down)from the point of juncture of the two sections. In the drawings thescale indicates fluid ounces. IE the nurse wishes to leave six ounces ofcream (the usual amount) in the bottle, she adjusts the sections to thesix-ounce mark, (which may be easily done, as the parts are in thisembodiment made of glass, and are therefore transparent,) starts thesiphon, and can be absolutely sure that it will siphon off milk andsediment and automatically stop when the iuid has been drawn oi to thepoint where six ounces remain in the bottle.

I am aware that many changes may be made in the constructions disclosedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore donot desire to limit myself to the embodiments described and illustrated.

1. In combination with a quart milk-bottle ofthe standard size, of asiphon having a long and a short leg, the long leg being of a lengthsufficient to reach the bottom of said bottle, with the shorter legextending downwardly below the top of said bottle and terminating abovethe level of the lower end of said longer leg, one of said legs beingcomposed of a plurality of telescoping sections whereby the level of thelower end of said shorter leg above the level of the end of the longerleg may be varied, and a scale graduated to indicate the capacity ofsaid bottle below the level'of the lower end of said shorter leg.

2. A siphon having a long and a short leg, the long leg being of alength sufficient to reach the bottom of a quart milk-bottle of thestandard size, with the shorter leg extending downwardly and terminatingat a point below the top of said bottle and not more than three and ahalf (3%) inches above the level of the lower end of said longer leg.

3. A Siphon having a long and a short leg, the long leg being of alength sufficient to reach the bottom of a quart milk-bottle of thestandard size, with the shorter leg extending downwardly and terminatingat a point below the top of said bottle and not more than three and ahalf (3%) inches above the level of said longer leg, and meanspermitting the adjustment of the height of the end of said shorter legabove the level of the lower end of said longer leg.

4. A siphon having a long anda short leg, the long leg being of a lengthsufficient to reach the bottom ot a quart milk-bottle ofthe standardsize, with the shorter leg extending downwardly and terminating at apoint below the top of said bottle and not more than three and a halt(3) inches above the level of said longer leg, one of said legs boingcomposed of a plurality of telescoping sections to permit the adjustmentof the height of the end of the shorter leg above the level of the lowerend of said longer leg.

5. A siphon having along and a short leg, the longleg being ofa lengthsufcient to reach the bottom of a quart milk-bottle of the standardsize, with the shorter leg extending downwardly and terminating at apoint below the top of said bottle and not more than three and a half(371-) inches above the level of said vlonger leg, said shorter legbeing composed of a plurality ot' telescoping sections to permit theadjustment of the height of the end of the shorter leg above the levelof the lower end of said longer leg.

6. A siphon having a long and a short leg, the long leg being of alength sufficient to reach the bottom of a quart milk-bottle of thestandard size, with the shorter leg extending downwardly and terminatingat a point below the top of said bottle and above the level of saidlonger leg, said shorter leg being composed of a plurality oftelescoping sections to permit the adjustment of the height of the endof the shorter leg above the level of the lower end of said longer leg,in combination with a scale graduated to indicate the capacity of aquart milk-bottle of the standard size below the level of the lowerI endof said shorter leg when said longer leg touches the bottom of saidbottle.

7. A Siphon having a long and a short leg, the long leg being of alength sufficient to reach the bottom ot' a quart milk-bottle of thestandard size, with the shorter leg extending downwardly and terminatingat a point below the top of said bottle and above the level of saidlonger leg, said shorter leg being composed of a plurality oftelescoping sections to permit the adjustment of the height of the endof the shorter leg above the level of the lower end of said longer leg,in combination with a scale reading `away from the joint between saidsections and graduated to indicate the capacity of a quart milk-bottleof the standard size below the level of the lower end of said shorterleg when said longer leg touches the bottom of said bottle.

Signed at. New York, N. Y., this 16th day ot' May, 1901.

CHARLES A. MEADl Witnesses:

EMERSON R. NEWELL, JOSEPH E. DIAMOND.

IOD

